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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · dip · rock · snap · date · kid · lie · bass

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. date — the fruit
  4. lie — to recline
  5. rock — music
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. kid — child
  9. wind — moving air
  10. snap — to click
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wind — moving air
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bass — low music
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rock — a stone
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. kid — to tease
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com